Lightly raced Nicconi three year-old Niccanova is clearly a star on the rise after posting his fourth win from just five starts in the Group III BRC Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The Steve Tregea-trained gelding resumed with a win in a modest $14,000 three-year-old handicap at the Gold Coast a fortnight ago, before beating some of the best three-year-olds in t training in this 1400 metre set weights event.

Winning jockey James Orman “had a little bit of luck from the (wide) gate”, sliding across to settle Niccanova in the back half of the field before making a forward move nearing the home turn.
Niccanova hit the line hard to power home and win by a short neck.

“He kept attacking the line,” Orman told Sky Racing. “He’s a nice horse.]

“He’s got a heart, he tries and that’s what you want. He just kept coming.”

Following the win Tregea said he’d knocked back some big offers from Hong Kong for Niccanova, but chose to resist.

“They were big before but we’ve sold a couple to Hong Kong and we chose not to sell him because you need a reason to get out of bed,” he said.

Niccanova is now likely to press on toward the Group II BRC Queensland Guineas (1600m) in two weeks.

Bred and retained to race by Windemere Stud, Niccanova has already won over $200,000 in prizemoney from his four wins to date.

He is the first foal of unraced Snippetson mare Dananova, who comes from the family of this season’s juvenile stakes-winner Ploverset and New Zealand Group I winner Southern Lord.

He is the 13^th stakes-winner for Widden stud’s quiet achiever Nicconi, who was the busiest sire in Australia in 2016.

Nicconi has had a slight fee increase for 2017 and stands at $16,500.